Requesting Reiki

As I continue my Reiki journey, I've decided to offer distance Reiki to anyone (or any pet) who is interested in receiving it. If you're interested in receiving a distance Reiki healing session, click the Request Reiki link at the end of this post and send me an e-mail including your first and last name, and if your name is common, please also include a location. For your pet, please include your pets name, type of animal and location. If you would like to include a photo, that is also welcome.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a Japanese method of energy healing that balances a being's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energies to their highest good, allowing the body to cleanse and heal itself. It often brings a sense of relaxation and peace.

As proven by quantum physics, everything is made up of vibrational energy, including the human body. Reiki assists in balancing the body's energy field to promote a sense of well-being.

Reiki can do absolutely no harm, it always works towards the highest good of the one receiving it. No belief is necessary in order for Reiki to work. The more open one is to receiving, the more their body will receive. The recipient is in complete control of how much Reiki they receive.

How is Reiki sent from a distance?
The vibrational energy that makes up our bodies is universally connected, and is not limited to the time and space that we perceive ourselves to be limited to physically. Therefore the energy can be received from anywhere, and in any time that we intend.

To begin sending the Reiki I sit in meditation. Once relaxed and ready to begin I open by saying the Reiki precepts aloud in Japanese. Translated, the precepts mean: "Just for today, I release anger; I release worry; be grateful; I work hard on myself spiritually; be kind to all beings." I request the presence of your energetic essence, and ask if you would like to receive Reiki. If I receive a positive response, I then surround your essence in a protective white-light bubble and request Reiki to flow into the protective bubble. I allow the Reiki to flow into the bubble until it overflows. I seal the bubble and ask the Reiki to continue flowing to your energetic essence in what ever way it is needed, for as long as necessary. Then release the bubble to flow freely home to where it belongs. I'll then thank Reiki and your energetic essence for the opportunity to work with them.

How is Reiki received?
Sit quietly when you're ready to receive Reiki. Sitting as straight as possible with your feet on the floor, and without crossing your legs will assist your body in allowing an unblocked flow of energy from head to toe. Place your arms where ever they are comfortable without crossing them. Take a few calming breaths then set the intention to receive Reiki from Kristen. If it feels right, say something like: "I am open and willing to receive Reiki from Kristen". Adjust the wording to whatever feels best for you. Loosely concentrate on your breath and let yourself be open to the experience. Sit for as long as you feel necessary.

How can my pet receive Reiki?
Reiki is sent the same for an animal as it is for a human. Animals can sense when the Reiki is present, and know subconsciously when it is available for them. Nothing *needs* to be done on your part. Although, if you talk with your pet, telling them that Reiki will be coming to help them heal might prepare them to be open and receptive to receive it.

What will this cost me?
In return for the time I spend sending the Reiki, I ask you to consider making a donation of $15, or whatever amount you are comfortable. Or you may respond to me with feedback about what you experienced, how your pet responds to it or anything else you feel inspired to share about Reiki.

Request Reiki

Reiki Cleansing

Read my more current perspective on this subject.
Or, continue reading what I wrote in September, 2010:

After a Reiki attunement there is a cleansing process that happens. A Level I attunement provides the ability to send healing energy to anything in the physical realm through the hands. Therefore, the cleansing process associated with Level I has to do with the physical body.

After my level I attunement, I experienced a physical cleansing that kept me between the bed and bathroom for a day or two. It's strongly recommended to continue doing self-healing sessions for the first 21 days after the attunement—three days for each of the 7 chakras to cleanse. The 21-day cycle continues after the first 21 days, and it's important to maintain self healings very often. I however eventually drifted away from the physical self-healing sessions out of boredom. It really didn't hold my attention much.

If you've been following the Reiki posts on this blog, you may remember that I had always intended to get to level II. That's where I really wanted to be, and what fascinated me most about the idea of Reiki. So, it seems natural to me that level I didn't hold my attention.

Last November (2009), just before moving to Texas for the winter, and only 2 months after my level I attunement, I choose to get a remote attunement to level II to help with the journey south. I had the attunement done remotely by Alice Langholt. It was an interesting experience.

I had never received Reiki remotely, so I was unsure what to expect. I sat with my legs folded, and my hands on my legs with my palms up to receive the gift of Reiki. My body was tense and my mind was racing. I tried to maintain a simple focus of receiving the level II attunement from Alice, which I turned into a mantra of "receiving level II from Alice" and repeated over and over. It helped keep my mind from jumping all over the place.

I interpreted the tension in my body as a resistance to something. I investigated the resistance, and decided to accept whatever I was resisting, and just let things happen. Almost immediately, my hands then went into gassho, my body relaxed, and my mind opened.

I began to visualize and feel 3 sets of hands moving around me, as if they were rubbing my aura. It was very subtle, but it seemed very real at the same time. When my attention fixated on the hands, they faded into the background, but I was left with a warm, tingling sensation in my back.

It all seemed to happen very quickly, but it lasted about 15 minutes.

After I felt the energies subside I e-mailed Alice and told her of the experience. She explained the she called on Usui Sensei, Mrs. Tataka and my guides to help in the attunement process, and that perhaps they were the presences I was sensing. She had also drawn symbols onto my back, which perhaps I was feeling.

Alice had send me some information to begin practicing with the level II symbols. I learned the symbols and began using them when doing physical self-healings. A level II Usui Reiki attunement, with the use of sacred symbols, allows energy to flow into the emotional and mental bodies of the aura for healing, as well as through time and space.

I tried sending Reiki to my family members back home, and to myself in the future. But I never really *felt* anything. So I became discouraged that it wasn't working and did not maintain the self-healings. As time went on Reiki seemed more and more difficult to tap into and feel.

However, even though I didn't *feel* it, Reiki was hard at work healing my emotional and mental body. Throughout the winter I experienced some deep emotional cleansing. There were a lot of things about my psyche that were exposed to me—things I was in denial about and resisted seeing as truth. I saw things I couldn't believe, but knew to be true—though I resisted them. I spiraled into the worst self-loathing depression I had ever been in, totally unable to accept these aspects about myself. I was mentally and physically destructive to myself and my friends. I was isolated from my family and basically felt all alone to deal with what I was experiencing. I often tried to use Reiki to help me, but I didn't understand what was happening. I didn't want to understand nor want the help. I just wanted everything to go away. But the only way out is through. One night, as I basked in the emotional uncertainty, my ego shattered itself with judgement and delusion… Then, with help through unconditional love, understanding, and logic-based thinking of my boyfriend I was able to see things more clearly and not take things so personally. Self acceptance has been a continuing effort since then…

At the beginning of this September I decided to begin another 21-day self-healing cleanse using the level I and level II attunements and symbols I had obtained. When I began my chakras felt very blocked—especially my heart chakra. The first few days of healings were met with physical resistance, yet I proceeded anyway. I was confident that the energy was there, and working, even though I could not *feel* anything. As the days continued I became more sensitive and open.

I was then pulled very strongly toward attending a level II class with Starr—the Reiki master who attuned me to level I and who I always intended on having my level II attunement with.

I attended that attunement 1 week ago today. You can read some of the highlights of that day here. Since that day I've felt very different—like my body is floating in sparkles. My heart chakra has since been softened greatly, and my third eye seems to be more acute.

Each morning I awaken in a way that seems relatively normal—somewhat groggy and heavy. But I feel something pulling me up—something urging me to tap into it and awaken. Like the sparkles are calling to me—they want to be acknowledged. It's a very strong calling that I cannot deny for long before it becomes overwhelming. The calling is to meditate, and to do a self healing session.

I'm very thankful for this calling. It's inspiring me to continue healing myself and I'm feeling confident that I'm on the right path. After my morning meditation/healing, I feel light and more in-touch with life. I'm more aware of everything on a subtle level and able to sense the energies in and around my body in a more aware way than ever before. I'm often drawn to small meditations and healings throughout the day that slowly amplify the sparkles.

The sparkles… I suppose I should define them. They're like a tingly sensation all around my skin—like a carbonated layer of bubble-wrap surrounding me—an energetic protective/loving/healing layer. It seems to amplify the awareness around me so that it may align itself with what IS… It's hard to describe. It's loving and comforting and peaceful.

Since the level II attunement there have been spontaneous emotional break-downs. Unresolved emotional blockages are resurfacing to be looked at. I'm so thankful to have a boyfriend around with a logical understanding of the mystical side of life who I'm able to talk with to work through things that come up. Without his guidance I'm not sure I'd have as deep an understanding of what could be happening as I do. I'm such an emotional person—I feel things, then trust the feelings. He helps me bring those feelings into the mind helping both the left and right sides of my brain understand.

The other night, I had the urge to look through my journal—which is basically filled with sketches and questions asking for guidance… and an occasional answer from something beyond. I flipped through each page, and James and I discussed the things that were happening during that time. I got to one page that was drawn while I was learning how to live after my mom had been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. Immediately upon seeing that page I burst into tears… there is something unresolved there. I witnessed myself resist the emotion and suppress it back to where it came from… then upon witnessing that I considered allowing it to resurface to look more closely at it… but I don't think it was something I'm entirely ready for just yet… or it's something I need to deal with privately. Even as I write this I can feel the emotion well up reminding me to look into this as soon as I have a private opportunity.

I'm loving the emotional cleansing. It's helping me to see clearly and openly. I really think the level II cleansing was necessary for me to do in 2 stages. There were some really deep, hard-to-accept aspects about myself that I needed to sift through over the winter in order to be ready for the level II attunement from Starr. Without the first remote attunement I don't think I would have been emotionally ready to handle the strength of what I experienced during Starr's attunement.

I'm thankful for all that Reiki has brought into my life. It's balancing me and helping me to clearly understand the path that I am on. It's quite a ride that I'm eager to continue experiencing.

Reiki II and Grammum

I had a class with Starr today to attune me to Level II Usui Reiki. It was an amazing and trans-formative experience.

The days prior to the class were spent trying to lighten up my bodies—attempting to eat well, meditate, doing Reiki healings on myself my cats and James, and vinyasa yoga. But still, upon entering the class that morning, I felt anxious and spiritually closed up—as I have been for the majority of the weeks prior.

As the class progressed, and I became more comfortable with Starr and Carolyn's presence I could slowly feel my body release tension and begin to open. I discussed with them how I had been feeling closed recently, and just getting that out into the open helped it release. I felt I could be honest with them about anything that came up. I shared things about my childhood that I felt were relevant to the conversation, such as remembering "sam" as a frequently occurring name that I would use when playing with dolls, without knowing or understanding why.

For those of you who don't know, sAM has become a nickname of mine. At the time that it did I did not recall the memories from childhood right away. It wasn't until I began investigating who sAM was that the memories resurfaced.

When we talked about sending distance Reiki, I learned that it can be sent to ourselves in our own past. I think that my adult self has worked (or will work) with my childhood self to release trauma from certain experiences, therefore making them less impacting on me as a child. Everything is after all, all happening now…

We talked some about working with people who had passed on to the other side. I recalled a few dreams of coming in contact with my paternal grandmother, Arlene/Grammie, with whom I was very close throughout my childhood.

After sharing our experiences with Reiki 1, going over the chakras and the different parts of our aura, we had our attunement. Starr said that a Level II attunement can be shared with someone on the other side—they will also be attuned. The idea intrigued me, so I invited Grammie to join me.

Just before being attuned, while sitting in meditation, completely out of the blue I got a strong feeling, and a closed-eye-visual of my maternal grandparents arriving. First my grandmother (Grammum), in a very strong way, then in a lesser way my grandfather (Pop-pop). I was really, REALLY surprised to see them.

Throughout the time we shared on this plane of reality, I didn't get the feeling that they cared much about me. My mother was often treated as the black sheep in their family, and they didn't seem to respect her much. Therefore, I never felt welcome or loved when at their family gatherings. I didn't grieve much when either of them died, as I was never very close to them. When I think of people I know who have passed on, they are never in those thoughts. So, needless to say, I was stunned when they choose to arrive for my attunement. It felt like the first thing in my life that they arrived for… I felt really honored, and happy to see them.

I invited all three of my grandparents to be attuned with me, though I think Grammum was the most enthusiastic about receiving it.

Later, when we were learning how to send distance healings I was being strongly pulled toward sending some to Grammum. So I did.

I called her name 3 times, and waited for a response after each. I visualized something with the energy of a small child, but I knew it was Grammum—she seemed very excited to be invited. Then I asked if she'd like to receive some Reiki. I got a very enthusiastic nod yes.

I surrounded her with a protective white-light bubble, drew the Reiki II symbols, connected with her third eye, then began to allow the Reiki energy to flow into her bubble. There was SO much love and emotion. And at the same time, so many feelings of regret, guilt and shame surfaced for me. Yet, I'm also so happy to have this opportunity now to heal anything that had happened in our past—to help us both move forward.

As the Reiki flowed between me and the white light bubble surrounding the energy which I recognized as Grammum, I tried to see her face, but had a hard time focusing. None-the-less, I knew it was her, so I accepted I couldn't see, and just continued to allow the Reiki to flow.

Photo of Grammum, taken by my Aunt Jeanne.

I still feel deeply moved that she choose to come to me, and I feel as though a new bond has been formed. For that I'm very thankful, and have such a great appreciation for her.

When I arrived home from the class I was VERY emotionally drained and stirred up, like a muddy pond… I lay down, surrounded myself with Reiki and napped for a few hours to awaken fresh and new.

I'm really looking forward to sharing Reiki as much as possible now. I feel confident that I can do it, and enthusiastic about surrounding myself in it as much as possible.

The feeling of hunger and its relationship to death anxiety.

September is always an interesting month for me—in some way or another things shift. Similar to how March feels like a birthing month when I feel reborn—September feels like a grounding month—a time to get back in touch with reality.

When I was younger, September brought a lot of fear and paranoia. I seriously felt as though something was always watching me—stalking me. I now recognize that feeling as my senses opening up to the darker side of reality — Autumn: the time of year when the earth begins falling back to sleep for the Winter. I'm not fearing the dark right now. In fact, I'm very open and accepting of it. Last Winter was the darkest ever, and I learned that it's nothing to be feared. In fact, darkness is what is encourages the light to shine.

In that way, September is feeling as refreshing as this past March. In March I felt reborn into the light. September is feeling like a rebirth into the darkness. It's all beautiful and perfect.

A trend I've noticed as far as my raw lifestyle: it seems to be easier for me to eat raw foods during the cool and cold weather than it is for me to eat them during the warm and hot weather. This intrigues me, and I can't help but wonder why it seems to be so.

Lately, I've been noticing anxiety come with the feeling of hunger. When I'm hungry my body tenses up from the resistance to the hunger—so much so that I often become irritated, and end up eating whatever is closest and easy. I have the feeling that investigating into the way I respond/react to this may be the answer to why I seem to have more trouble eating raw in the summer.

Perhaps it's because Summer is a lively time—a time to feel alive. I'm going to presume the anxious feeling that arises from the feeling of hunger has something to do with death anxiety. We need food to live, therefore feeling hungry must mean I'm going to die, right? Well, I guess my body believes that because it's been programed to do so by society. I know full well that the human body can go for days without food and still live. So, I understand that there's really nothing to fear when I'm hungry.

Now, what does summer vs. winter have to do with how I relate to the hungry feelings I get? Well, in winter I'm closer to a state of survival and more accepting of being closer to death. There isn't as much life in the New England Winter—the earth sleeps; the air is cold; I need to protect my body from the elements. Therefore, I constantly have in mind that my body needs to be cared for. One way of caring for it is to feed it the healthiest foods I know—raw fruits & veggies.

However, during the summer, in the bright warm sun, surrounded by lush green foliage, etc… I feel protected and safe. So, I don't feel as though *I* need to put any effort towards survival. It all happens for me—or so it seems. I go along for the ride, and with it comes whatever food is there. I don't necessarily care to make the effort to eat healthy.

So, it has to do with how tolerant I am about the concept of death. When I'm in an accepting mode of death (winter), I can accept hunger, therefore I'm not anxious about having hungry feelings, and therefore can put more thought into what I feed myself, in contrast to the summer, when death is far from my mind. In the summer, because death is so far from daily life, when the hunger strikes I relate it to death and become anxious about the idea, then try to do anything and everything possible to make it go away. This often means I lean toward heavy, starchy foods that I know will numb the feeling away.

This is pretty much just a theory… as nothing I say can be thought of as *fact*. But it's an interesting theory that I will enjoy watching as we become closer and closer to the still, quiet, Winter.